Langston HughesDemocracy

Society has come a long way since slavery days, and huge steps have been made granting equal rights on the basis of race. Although many believe racism no longer exist, many ethnic groups still experience some form of racism today. In most reading we have read, an issue of race was presented, there was always a race that presumes they were superior to others.

The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of

‘America’ is a complex, layered idea; one that becomes all the more complex when the deeply embedded construct of race comes into play. As a black man born into a time of overt racial prejudice, Langston Hughes was all too familiar with the double consciousness that came with life as an American minority. This roller coaster is the subject of the vast majority of his literary work and has continued to be a major presence and inspiration for literary work everywhere today. Hughes shows a deep loyalty to the ideals that brought the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights into fruition and, through repeated motifs of the American Dream, seeks to bring about calm in a time of social and political unrest.

One of the social reforms that are argued to have been achieved by the contemporary society is acknowledged that all people within the society are equal irrespective of some socio-cultural differences such as race. The view that all persons are equal is ingrained in the society and supported by an array of a legal framework. One of the supporting legal frameworks is the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which asserts that all persons must be treated with equality, disregarding other differences based on elements such as gender and color. The constitution of the United States also stipulates that every citizen should be accorded equal treatments disregarding socio-cultural elements such as gender and race. Although such constitutional affirmations paint how the society is dedicated to addressing problems various types of human discrimination, racism continues to be one of the outstanding challenges. Racial problems continue to affect the nature of relationship within the society. The cause of racism has often been associated with social construction of differences, and that addressing racism would need to begin by addressing the socially constructed differences. This paper examines the history of social construction of race.

Racism and racial stereotyping are constructs that has been around since the beginning of the colonization of America. It’s a notion very prevalent yet undermined by skepticism. Many would believe that a nation such as the United States of America has progressed from such a hideous perspective, however, their existence is once again escalating. We see racial profiling and discrimination portrayed in various forms throughout our daily lives. Whether it be something simple as segregated neighborhoods or schools to things such as minorities being discriminated against during employment opportunities. It’s apparent that the barrier placed between blacks and whites is something affront yet learned racism in its entirety. There’s an underlying connection between racism and anxiety of black individuals causing them to turn to their own rather than seek sympathy from opposing races. This brief synthesis analysis will draw connections to this generalized statement aforementioned to elucidate on how perspective of minorities changes over the course of their lifetimes.

Written in the first half of the 20th century, “Let America Be America” is a poem that documents and responds to the oppressed state of the United States, in both the past and present. The poem is a plea for a return to the original principles of freedom that our country has seemingly forgotten. Additionally, the speaker sees America as the broken home to oppressed people who have lost sight of the ultimate goal of freedom and happiness. Although America is often perceived as the “land of the free,” Langston Hughes’s poem contradicts this ideology by not only painting a vivid picture of oppression in America but also by providing a desperate hope for the future.

In “Harlem” and “The Ballad of the Landlord”, poet Langston Hughes shows not only how the United States treats people of color and tries to keep them down, but also how it denies them three of the most basic things that our constitution is supposed to be provide: a right to pursue their dreams.

Langston Hughes discusses his hopes for America with the reality of life for those outside of the socially and economically dominant racial, religious and social groups. He kindles his passionate dreams of those who came to America with the idea to be safe from the oppression they endured in their country; but their dreams of America have never come true. The poem begins with Hughes desire for America to be what it once was; however he states satirically, that this image of America is false. Americans practiced slavery and oppression, consistently destroying the land’s native people in order to build their settlements. This idea of “America” only exists in dreams.

Since the establishment of the United States of America, the attitudes and values of American culture have altered in a variety of ways, doing so on the needs and desires of each respective era. One such connotation that was a major source of internal conflict within the country was that of excessive racial treatments towards minorities. Beginning with the enslavement and horrific mistreatment of African populations, all the way to the discrimination and stereotypical atmosphere of American society towards ethnic immigrants, racism has been a crucial component of cultural and social change. Despite coming a long way from the inhumane treatment of African slaves, and becoming more explicitly tolerant of minorities that migrate to America, a sense of discriminatory racism continues to pervade, as has become apparent in the implicit attitudes adopted by many American citizens. In doing so, this form of inner racism does not make its violating actions apparent, but rather focuses on the cultural values and subconscious attitudes of each citizen, nearly embedding their mentalities with some extent of racial undertones. As a result, it is identifiable that even though American society has made leaps and bounds in terms of progress in regards to the racial mistreatment of minorities, the encompassing implicit oppression that arises holds a wide variety of detrimental outcomes in all aspects of life. Therefore, even through the trials and tribulations of the civil rights movement,

For century’s man’s thoughts, ideals, perceptions, and actions have caused tumultuous inquiraries. We as a society have learned to accept discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping. These malefactors have caused great malice. Consequently, these dehumanizing practices are not only present in America which is considered to be the “melting pot”, but globally. Everyone is eccentric in their own way. We all have the God given right, and the natural right to habitat, in peace and harmony, and to be free of afflictions from others. Our Forefathers did not have discrimination, prejudice, or even stereotyping in mind when it came to building up America. In fact these cancerous inklings imbrue the very fabric that America was made of. Discrimination,

In the fight for equality, people of color often feel isolated and separated from those whose privilege reinforces their oppression. However, there are and always have been white people who see the inequalities that are practiced in society and speak out against them in hopes of reaching equality for all. Langston Hughes used his voice in poetry to express his experience as a black man in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement, and his is a household name. There is no doubt that his words have power. The reader expects to feel his experience and gain empathy and understanding through his poetry. In his poem, “Let America Be America Again,” Hughes presents his experience of American life in a powerful contrast to the experience

The historical poetries written by Langston Hughes’ indicated what should have been and what actually exist when trying to achieve the American Dream. Racism encountered numerous ongoing battles in the United States between the whites and blacks. Therefore, Langston Hughes’ incorporated a long measure of his ambition to bring forth peace from his poetry and analyzing his harsh living of unequal justice. Although Americans preached about “Land of the Free” they belittled African American’s. Nevertheless, there are three poems by Langston Hughes’ that mentioned his nonexistent freedom and points out his idealistic thoughts about how the American Dream should have been presented.

Racism, the discriminatory belief that members of a certain race are superior or inferior to another, creates problems that are more intricate than they are skin-deep. Racial stratification emerges not only throughout individual interaction based on personal bias, but rather emerges within cultures and institutions themselves. Some would be naïve to think that racism merely hurts the feelings of the oppressed. The full extent of racism is wide-reaching, and it impacts matters much more complex than a person’s emotional state.

In 1951 Langston Hughes wrote one of his more political poems, “ Harlem”.It shines light on the need for change in the African American society. In that time America was still segregated, and African Americans were still standing in the shadow of slavery

In “Let America be America Again,” Hughes reflects on the current discrepancy between the promises of justice and equality in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and the current situation that Hughes faces. Anaphorically using the phrase “I am,” Hughes mentions the different types of people, including poor whites, Native Americans, and immigrants, that share the same struggle that African Americans face regarding the pursuit of equality and the American Dream. Emphasizing his ideal America with a caesura pause, Hughes writes, “and yet must be--the land where every man is free.” This line encapsulates Hughe’s desire for a America that includes African Americans and other minorities and finally upholding the nation’s promise that all Americans were created equal. Hughes also realizes that his ideal America will still require